INSTRUCTIONS FOR TRAINING PROGRAMS APPLYING FOR ACCREDITATION OF LEAD- BASED PAINT ACTIVITIES COURSES

Transcription

1 INSTRUCTIONS FOR TRAINING PROGRAMS APPLYING FOR ACCREDITATION OF LEAD- BASED PAINT ACTIVITIES COURSES You may apply to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for accreditation or reaccreditation of a lead-based paint initial course(s) and/or refresher course(s) in either Lead Abatement or Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP). Under lead abatement, EPA offers accreditation for training providers in the following disciplines: Inspector, Supervisor, Risk Assessor, Project Designer, or Abatement Worker. Under lead RRP, EPA offers national accreditation to training providers in the following two disciplines: Renovator and Dust Sampling Technician. EPA offers accreditation in states, U.S. territories, and all Indian tribal land(s) where EPA directly implements the lead-based paint accreditation program. If EPA does not administer the accreditation program in an area you wish to conduct training, you must apply directly to that state, territory, or Indian tribe for accreditation. Please note that you must apply separately for each application type (i.e., initial accreditation, re-accreditation, amending accreditation, or replacement of a certificate). For example, if you are applying for initial accreditation for lead RRP as a renovator and dust sampling technician, and re-accreditation in two lead abatement disciplines you must submit two separate online applications for the initial accreditation and re-accreditation requests. How to Apply for Initial Accreditation To apply for accreditation of a training program[s], please do the following: 1) Complete the Accreditation Application for Training Providers and fee payment online. 2) After submission of the online application, forward the following materials to the EPA Region responsible for the review of your application (contact/mailing information is provided during the online application process) a. Provide education, experience, and other documents for the Training Program Manager and Principal Course Instructor. b. Provide the following for each course for which you apply (see detailed discussion of each item later in this document): i. Description of training facilities and hands-on training equipment; ii. Course test blueprint; iii. Description of activities and procedures for conducting the hands-on skills assessment; and iv. Quality control plan(s), described in 40 CFR (c)(9). c. Provide the following for the course materials you will use: i. EPA model training materials. Enclose a copy of the first five pages of the instructor and student manuals that are being used for each course for which you ve applied. ii. EPA-authorized state, Indian tribe approved or your own. For all course materials that are not EPA model training enclose a complete copy of the student and instructor manuals, or other materials to be used, for each course for which you ve applied. Additionally, provide a copy of the agenda for each course.

2 Note: When applying for accreditation of a course in a language other than English, include a signed statement from a qualified, independent translator that the course was compared to the English language version and found to be accurate. Training Facilities, Hands-on Training Equipment, Class Size and Student Instructor Ratio Provide an inventory of all training materials that will be used to conduct hands-on activities for each course for which you are applying, or a note indicating that the materials will be used for more than one course. Provide a detailed description of each facility to be used for the lecture, course test, hands-on training, and assessment activities including a floor diagram and room dimensions. Class size should be limited to 25, with a maximum of one instructor for every 6 students during the hands-on exercises. Should you plan on class sizes exceeding 25, or higher student/instructor ratio, then provide an explanation as to how you plan to adequately observe and direct hands-on activities. You need to conduct your classes using the class size and hands-on ratios that are approved with your application. If you want to change them you need to contact the regional office that approved your application. If you plan to provide training at non-permanent facilities (like a hotel, or any facility that you do not own or maintain) then, in addition to the above, submit a description of the criteria you will use when selecting a training site. Training Manager and Principal Instructor Qualifications In Sections C and D of the application you must indicate that the training program manager and principal instructor(s) meet certain education, training and work experience requirements. You must submit the supporting documentation regarding the qualifications, such as resumes or transcripts, with the application. Course Test Blueprint Provide a copy of the course test blueprint for each course for which you are applying. The course test blueprint is a written document identifying the proportion of course test questions devoted to each major topic in the course curriculum. You should not submit a copy of the course test. For an initial course, the course test blueprint should use the course topics established in (d) to identify the proportion of course test questions which should be devoted to each topic. For a refresher course, the course test blueprint should use the course topics established in (e)(1) to identify the proportion of course test questions which should be devoted to each topic. Description of Activities and Procedures for Conducting the Hands-on Skills Assessment Include a description of the activities and procedures that will be used for conducting the assessment of hands-on skills for each course for which you are applying. This should include:

3 1) the list of hands-on topics covered in the course, 2) the activities performed for each handson topic, and 3) the method to determine the trainee s ability to perform each of the hands-on activities. Quality Control Plan Include a copy of the quality control plan. The plan should contain at least the following elements: 1. Procedures for periodic revision of training materials and the course test to reflect innovations in the field and regulatory changes made by EPA. 2. Procedures for the training manager's annual review of principal instructor competency. In situations where the training manager and principal instructor are the same person an objective review of the principle instructor s performance is not possible. In such a case, alternative evaluation methods should be discussed (i.e., student evaluations & feedback, peer review, etc.). 3. For Renovator and Dust Sampling Technician disciplines, an acknowledgement that the trainer understands and will comply with the following items (these items are described in detail at Notification requirements and digital photograph submission instructions Recordkeeping requirements Course completion certificate requirements and unique identification number protocol Training via Video Conference and/or Video Recording. If you plan to provide training using a video conference and/or video recording of lecture materials, you should include information on how you plan to conduct the training in the Quality Control Plan. The Quality Control Plan should explain how the course will be delivered and how the video conference technology and/or video recordings will be used in the delivery. The list below contains examples of the information to be included in the Quality Control Plan: The course(s) that will use video conferencing A list of equipment that will be used for each skill set Description of how the instructors and students will interact during the training The location of the instructor during the training The number of students expected at each site Materials that will be distributed Description of how the course test and hands-on skills assessment will be conducted Description of how student photos will be taken Site selection criteria for non-permanent training sites Any other pertinent information Note that the hands-on portion of the training must be done using the proper equipment for each skill set. The hands-on portion and the course test should be given with a principal instructor or guest instructor physically present. Also, the principal instructor is primarily responsible for teaching the course materials and must be present to provide instruction (or oversight of portions of the course taught by guest instructors) for the course for which he has been designated the principal instructor. Therefore, the principal instructor s only involvement in the course can t be a video recording.

4 If you have already received accreditation to perform classroom training and want to conduct training by video conference and/or video recording, you should submit an amended training provider application online indicating such and forward an updated quality control plan. Please note in section H ( additional information ) of the online application that you are amending your accreditation to include delivery by video conferencing. You do not need to submit a fee with your amendment. Training Via Electronic-Learning Format To offer E-learning you must read the implementation guidelines document entitled Model Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule E-learning Course Component Implementation Requirements. These guidelines describe the implementation and Learning Management System requirements for providing the E-learning component content. In your Quality Control Plan, you must describe how you will meet each requirement set forth in this document. If you do not fully address all the requirements your application will be considered incomplete and you will be required to provide additional information potentially delaying the approval process. You must include a copy of the E-learning training course you will be offering in the form of a CD or by including a link to a webpage and user ID and password for EPA access in the Quality Control Plan. This applies whether you are using the model E-learning course or an alternative. If you are applying to offer only E-learning modules with no in-class presentation of the lecture material, you must indicate whether you will use permanent or non-permanent training facilities for the required hands-on training activities, the in-person hands-on skills assessment and the in-person final exam. How to Apply for Re-accreditation All training course accreditations expire every (4) years. To ensure that your training program will be re-accredited before your current accreditation expires, you must submit your reaccreditation application online no later than 180 days before the expiration date. For re-accreditation complete the application online, and as directed forward the following materials to the EPA Region responsible for the review of your application (contact/mailing information is provided during the online application process) Qualifications of the training program manager Qualifications of the principal instructor(s) A description of any changes to the training facility, equipment or course materials since your last application was approved that adversely affects the students' ability to learn. Amended Application If information included in a trainers most recent application to EPA changes, the training program has 90 days to amend their accreditation. If an amendment is not submitted within 90 days the training program may not provide training until their accreditation is amended. Amending an application is done online. When adding a permanent training location you need to submit a photo(s) of the lecture area, a photo(s) of each hands-on area, and a diagram of the training facilities including dimensions.

5 If the amendment includes a new training program manager, any new principal instructor(s), or any new permanent training location(s), the training provider is not permitted to provide training under the new training manager or offer courses taught by any new principal instructor(s) or at the new training location(s) until EPA either approves the amendment or 30 days have elapsed, whichever occurs earlier. Except: o If the amendment includes a new training program manager or principal instructor that was already approved under another EPA training program accreditation, the training provider may provide training under the new training manager or offer courses taught by the new principal instructor on an interim basis as soon as the provider submits the amendment to EPA. The training provider may continue to provide training under the new training manager or offer courses taught by the new principal instructor if EPA approves the amendment or if EPA does not disapprove the amendment within 30 days. o If the amendment includes a new permanent training location, the training provider may begin to provide training at the new permanent training location on an interim basis as soon as the provider submits the amendment to EPA. The training provider may continue to provide training at the new permanent training location if EPA approves the amendment or if EPA does not disapprove the amendment within 30 days. Replacement of a Certificate Requests for certificate replacement are done online, there is a $15 fee for the replacement of a certificate. Incomplete Application If any components of your application are missing, your application will become inactive for a period not to exceed 30 days until the application is made complete. If you do not complete your application, EPA will disapprove the application package. You may apply again with a complete package. Please call LEAD to see if your application is complete. Fees The fee[s] for applying for accreditation, re-accreditation, and other requests are listed in the following schedule. Payment is completed online. Payment methods credit card, debit card, or electronic check.

6 Fee Schedule Course Accreditation Fee Re-accreditation Fee Lead Abatement Initial Course Inspector $870 $620 Supervisor $870 $620 Risk Assessor $870 $620 Project Designer $870 $620 Abatement Worker (English) $870 $620 Abatement Worker (non-english) $870 $620 Lead Abatement Refresher Course Inspector $690 $580 Supervisor $690 $580 Risk Assessor $690 $580 Project Designer $690 $580 Abatement Worker (English) $690 $580 Abatement Worker (non-english) $690 $580 Lead RRP Initial Course Renovator Renovator Course in a language other than English Renovator Course in an Electronic Format Renovator Course in an Electronic Format in a Language Other Than English Dust Sampling Technician Dust Sampling Technician Course in a language other than English Dust Sampling Technician Course in an Electronic Format Lead RRP Refresher Course Renovator $400 $310 Renovator Course in a language other $400 $310 than English Renovator Course in an Electronic $400 $310 Format Dust Sampling Technician $400 $310 Dust Sampling Technician Course in a $400 $310 language other than English Dust Sampling Technician Course in an $400 $310 Electronic Format Multi-Jurisdictional Lead Abatement Accreditation Fee* $35 per discipline for each additional EPArun jurisdiction** Replacement Certificate $15 * Multi-jurisdictional accreditation applies only to an applicant applying in more than one EPA-run jurisdiction. ** An EPA-run jurisdiction includes an EPA-run state, a U.S. territory, or all Indian tribal land(s) in any one EPA Region (For current list of EPA-run jurisdictions, see or call LEAD.)

7 Fee Examples 1) If training program is applying for refresher Worker course accreditation in two states: Refresher Worker accreditation fee $690 One additional state fee* $ 35 Total Amount Due: $725 2) If training program is applying for national accreditation (RRP) for both Renovator and Dust Sampling Technician Renovator initial accreditation fee $ 560 Dust Sampling Technician initial accreditation fee $ 560 Total Amount Due: $1120 3) If training provider is applying for re-accreditation for Abatement Inspector, Worker, and Project Designer refresher courses: Refresher Inspector re-accreditation fee $ 580 Refresher Worker re-accreditation fee $ 580 Refresher Project Designer re-accreditation fee $ 580 Total Amount Due: $1740 4) If training program is applying for accreditation to offer the Initial Renovator course in multiple formats Initial Renovator in-class presentation $ 560 Initial Renovator in-class presentation in Spanish $ 560 Initial Renovator course offered with E-learning presentation of lecture materials $ 560 Total Amount Due: $1680

8 EPA s Accreditation Fees Refund Policy Training programs having submitted an application and associated fees for accreditation or reaccreditation who wish to withdraw their application prior to Agency approval will receive a fee refund based upon the schedule below. Training programs who request a refund more than 10 days after the Agency receives the application will not receive a 100% refund. Number of Days Following Receipt of Percent Reimbursed Application Up to 10 days 100% 11 to 60 days 75% 61 to 120 days 50% 121 or more days 25% Note: Refunds will only be made after EPA verifies fee receipt and deposit by the U.S. Treasury. Training programs must notify the Agency in writing in order to qualify for a refund. The date your application is withdrawn is the date the Agency receives the withdraw notification. EPA will not refund fees after granting a training program accreditation or re-accreditation. Refunds are granted only on a per discipline basis. Therefore training programs must withdraw their applications for a particular discipline in all EPA-run jurisdiction[s] included on the application. If your application is disapproved, EPA will not refund fees. Refunds are not available for replacing a certificate.

9 Application Process for Training Program Accreditation EPA processes applications on a first-come first-served basis. The flowchart below depicts the application process for training program accreditation. EPA has up to 180 days after receiving a complete request for accreditation to approve or disapprove the application.